Teaching & Learning

Schools Clean Up Australia Day

Students from SOC sustainability club joined other students from around Australia to participate in Schools Clean Up Australia Day on Friday 5 March. 

After lunch our students walked around the school, collecting rubbish. 

The following week during House assemblies a brief presentation was made about Schools Clean Up Australia Day. 

During house assembly, the following questions/comments were presented. 

• What do you think happens to the rubbish you drop?
• Rubbish usually goes into gutters, through drains and, with the wind, ends up in the ocean. It is often eaten by birds and animals, including whales, dolphins and turtles, who mistake it for food.
• Plastic not eaten immediately breaks down over time, but does not decompose. It eventually breaks down into tiny pieces of plastic called microplastics.  These microplastics are eaten by fish, making their way up the food chain until eventually, they are eaten by us.

We hoped that by collecting rubbish we have made all members of the SOC community aware of the dire consequences of dropping litter and of the importance of using bins.

THE SUSTAINABILITY CLUB MEETS EVERY FRIDAY AT 1.15 IN A2. SNACKS PROVIDED! ALL WELCOME.

Alison Jones

Sustainability Club Coordinator

SuperSpace with MTS

Our Acc7Science class attended SUPERSPACE with MTS and Ms Han and Mr Kuruc on Mon 7th & Tues 8th March.

The purpose of our day was to engage with a STEM/Design thinking activity to develop capabilities around collaboration, empathy, ideation, problem solving and prototyping.

Students were immersed in a range of activities related to space and had the goal of designing a space suit to support life under varied conditions.

Within the 2-days students 'built' a non-functioning prototype and provided a presentation back to the group about their ideas, concepts and prototype build.

Student RECOUNT – SUPERSPACE MONASH UNIVERSITY 

On Monday and Tuesday, I took part in a program at Monash University called Superspace, along with my fellow classmates from South Oakleigh Secondary College. We participated in a number of fun activities all about what we will need to design a space suit. 

To design them we were split into some groups. Each group got a scenario, depending on what our scenario was we might have needed better communication whilst we didn’t need too much oxygen. 

The parts we learnt about were the: Exoskeleton, Communication, Scanning, Stabilization, Oxygen and Materials. 

In the Exoskeleton class we learnt how they were a wearable device that works with us, some make you run faster while others make you strong. 

In communication we were lucky enough to get to use a HoloLens. Which is a sophisticated communication device allowing us to be able to video chat, draw and send through documents. You can see everything around you as well as seeing the person you could be chatting with, while no one else can. In scanning we used a scanning device which would tell us how many different types of minerals in the rock and what they were. 

We also used one which you put in a gas that had been liquified and it would also tell you what it is made of. During stabilization we used gyroscopes to see how they moved and then we used a bicycle wheel and felt what it did when it was spinning and you move it around. Throughout oxygen we did many different breathing activities and tracked our breathing rate. Lastly in materials we tested the insulation of the different materials to see which was best to use for our astronaut. At the end of each of the lesson we bought the equipment better suited for our mission, with our fake coins. Then on the second day we got to make our astronaut, the actual body is given to us but we have to cover it with our material and stick on our other equipment. Then at the very end of the course they gave us badges so we could remember the experience. Overall my feelings about the program was that it was an awesome experience encouraging to think outside the box and learn about space! 

Steve Kuruc 

STEM Learning Specialist

On March 7th and 8th, across 2 days, the Year 7 Accelerated Science class attended the SuperSpace program run by Monash Tech School. Students were introduced to STEM concepts and engaged in a range of hands-on, collaborative, solution focused tasks through design thinking. They used their creativity to progress through all stages of the design thinking as they learnt how to tackle big ideas around working out which elements were most important when designing the perfect spacesuit.

The students looked at Holo-Lens for communication, which was most students’ favourite aspect, along with various analytical chemistry instruments for sampling, such as X-Ray and Infrared Spectrometers. Furthermore, students also got to look at exoskeleton robotics and gyroscopes for stabilisation. The goal was to select the equipment better suited for their mission whilst on a tight budget.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the whole SuperSpace program as it gave them an opportunity to analyse the thinking that goes behind the design of spacesuits via the use of such high-tech equipment and were able to feel and touch the fabrics used by real astronauts. The experience got students to think outside the box which furthered their curiosity towards space and STEM.

Lucy Han 

Science Teacher

Year 8 Humanities

All Year 8 students have started working on Medieval Europe. To begin their study, they created a timeline with some key events and developments in the history of Medieval Europe. Students picked an event that was of interest and worked with their peers to place it on the timeline. 

The timeline initiated discussion of historical context, significance and interpretations. Students researched their event and presented their work for peer review.

Stav Kantzas

Classroom Teacher

Year 7 Media/Tech

Students in Year 7 were introduced to the TV Studio. 

They have chosen their own story from their choice of News Topics to present. Year 7 students will take part working on the production of their report. All students experienced different roles in the TV Studio.

Stav Kantzas

Classroom Teacher

Murray at South Oakleigh College 

Hello again from Murray and Ms Jeffries, the certified visiting therapy dog team. Murray has continued to bring wellbeing, cuddles, endless pats, and lots of games of fetch on the oval, to the students and staff at South Oakleigh College this term. 

Some of Murray's highlights for the second half of this term have been to support the Year 12's at the BBQ for their Formal Fundraiser, visiting the amazing staff in the Learning Centre, helping some students to feel calmer and more settled in the classroom, and helping to raise money for the end of term Walk-a-Thon which he will be participating in.

Murray and Ms Jeffries wish you all the best for your Term 1 holidays and look forward to seeing you next term.

Atlanta Jeffries & Murray Jeffries

Classroom Teacher & Certified Therapy Dog

Celebrating Greek Independence Day

Greek Independence Day, or the Celebration of Greek Revolution, is celebrated in Greece, Cyprus, and the Greek diaspora annually on March 25. This public holiday honours the Greek Revolution of 1821, and the Feast of the Annunciation.

In 1821, the Greeks rose up against the Ottoman Empire which had occupied Greece for almost 400 years, leading to the war of independence.

Bishop Germanos of Patras raised the Greek flag at the monastery of Agia Lavras, inciting the Peloponnese to rise against the oppressors.

After nine long years of war, Greece was finally recognised as an independent state under the London Protocol of February 1830. In 1832, the final borders of the new state were established, and Prince Otto of Bavaria became the first king of Greece.

Congratulations to all our South Oakleigh College students who performed Greek dances with the support provided by the teacher Sofia Aggelidakis seconded to our school by the Hellenic Ministry of Education and enjoyed their day!

Ζήτω η 25η Μαρτίου!

Happy Independence Day!

Dimitra Maniatis

LOTE Learning Specialist 

VCE Legal Studies Virtual Excursion 2021: County Court of Victoria – Judge David Sexton

On 15 March 2022, VCE Legal Studies students had a “virtual excursion” to the County Court – Victoria’s main trial court, with judges hearing over 11,000 civil and criminal cases each year. The students received a Zoom call from inside an actual court room, in which were His Honour Judge David Sexton, his Associate, Lachlan Davine, his Tipstaff Bill Swindon as well as one of the court’s Education Officers, Jasmin. 

We shared the experience with 3 other schools, but the South Oakleigh College “Legal Eagles” were the only group to fully embrace the virtual court experience by standing and bowing when His Honour entered the courtroom. The callers were also very impressed with our Christine Strachan Theatre, the other schools attending from ordinary classrooms. His Honour, who was wearing the full judge’s garb (robes), shared insights into his extensive legal career as a solicitor, a barrister and now judge specialising in criminal cases. His Honour described his passion for “therapeutic justice” and his involvement with the Koori Court. Associate Davine shared his experiences of law school and Tipstaff Swindon won our hearts, explaining his role as a court officer. 

Year 11 student Sophia Donnellan was the first to jump up and ask a question – about the topical #raisetheage issue, which His Honour acknowledged as a very good question before carefully answering without over-stepping his role as a judge and not a parliamentarian. This will link up nicely with the upcoming topic of the separation of powers.

Jacinta Marlborough

Legal Studies Teacher

English Team Year 7

This term we have been busy reading the novel “Howl’s Moving Castle.”

The story is set in a mythical land called Ingary where we meet one of the main protagonists of the text – Sophie the eldest daughter of the Hatter Family. As their family name suggests, they are a family of hat makers. 

As the story progresses, Sophie faces many challenges including the death of her father, the change in circumstances of the family – the sisters all leave school and go out into the world to work as apprentices in different trades. Sophie remains at the hot store making and designing hats for the people of Market Chipping (the small town where the story is set at the start of the book.) Martha goes to learn magic at the house of Mrs Fairfax and Lettie works at the local bakery making fine cakes and sweet treats.

As the story continues, the reader is introduces to the key antagonist – The Witch of the Waste – who is threatened by Sophie and casts a mysterious curse on her, aging her from a teenager to an old woman in her 90’s. Sophie cannot tell anyone what has happened – that is part of the curse, but goes out into the world looking for a way to break this spell and restore he back to her youthful and rightful age. 

Along the way additional characters are introduced – Howl, a wizard who as a reputation for breaking girls hearts. Calcifer, a fire demon who also has a contract in place that needs to be solved and Michael the orphan who has become an apprentice to Wizard Howl. Most to the action from this point of the story is taking place in a magical moving castle that has mysterious portholes to other worlds and the ability to move.

To help the students with their learning we have completed chapter summaries to embed the key points from the text and worked on literal, applied and inferential comprehension questions so that the students can use what they have learnt, share their ideas and answer questions about the text. 

Adam Myors 

English Teacher

Congratulations Monish

On receiving an award for the ICAS Digital Technologies competition!